The poodle gang in Newcastle had another milestone, their eldest boy, Willy, turned 13 on the weekend. He is quite old, blind and frail but still has quite alot of quality of life, still going to the beach 4 times a week and still tries to preside over his "pack".
Everyone was on their usual best behaviour, Nancy and Paula did a "mock" interview with him, to talk about his life. (thats the pic with Paula behind the "Willy" mask...).
It was a great day, yet again.
INTERVIEW: WILLY JAAKKONEN
Interview with Willy Jaakkonen former Alpha Male of the Newcastle Poodle Club, on his 91st Birthday.
Can I have your attention please. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dogs and Bitches.
Thank your all for gathering today to celebrate Willy’s 13th Birthday.
Willy Jaakkonen is the grandfather and founding member of the Newcastle Poodle Pack. He was the Alpha Male of our pack from its inception until his recent retirement in 2005.
Willy has presided over all the gatherings of our clan. Every Saturday beach run, parties, picnics, birthdays and deathdays. Lets not forget it was Willy that Santa chose to escort her to Horseshoe Beach each Xmas.
And today, as a very special treat for us all, Willy has agreed to an interview.
Can we have a round of applause for our honoured K9.
Q: First let me thank you for giving us this interview. I understand you are known for being a quiet kind of guy in the Dog World.
W: Nonverbal Gesture
Q: But the word around town is that you have quite a bit to say about FOOD.
W: Nonverbal Gesture.
Q: Would you call yourself a gourmet? A connoisseur of fine food?
W: Nah. I’m no gourmet. I don’t know much about fine food, but I know what I like.
And what I like is food.
Q: What is your favourite food?
W: Bread. I like bread a lot. I like bread, cakes, short breads, bread and butter, bread
Crumbs. Brown bread, white bread, multi grain. Bread is good.
Q: Second to bread?
W: Second to bread I like EVERYTHING. Meat, Fish, Chicken, Cheese. You name it I
Like it. My mother makes a great stew. No one makes a stew like my mother.
Q: Speaking of mothers…Is it true you are a Mama’s Boy?
W:…Yea. Its true. I have a really soft spot for Mama Liisa. But Hey. She is a really good
Dog Mother. We’ve always look out for each other. We’ve seen a lot of life
Together. And since Eric died.
Q: Eric was your father?
W: Yes… When Eric died it was just me and Mama Liisa. Just the 2 of us That was a terrible time for us, loosing Eric like that. And he was such a hero, you know. Going out into that surf to save that kid. It was a hard time. Such sadness. And you know something? I haven’t had a decent game of rough house since. I was 2 ½ human years old I had to become the man in the family at a pretty young age.
Q: Do you think that becoming the man of the family at such a young age prepared you for your role in life as leader of the Poodle Pack?
W: Probably. I wasn’t afraid of responsibility, if that’s what you mean.
Q: You are known for your Gentleness during your time as Alpha Male of the Newcastle Poodle Club.
W: I don’t think you need to bare your teeth and fight to keep order in the pack. I’m a lover not a fighter. I would just patrol the boundary while the others played. If someone we didn’t know came into the area, I’d frisk them, have a quiet word and send them off.
If that didn’t work, I’d mount them. Same thing if dogs in my own mob were playing too rough. I’d have a quiet word or mount them. That usually showed them who they were dealing with. It wasn’t a bad technique, you know. Keep the peace in the pack just by throwing a leg over.
Q: Well you are a Scorpio, born on 30 October. Scorpio is known for being sexy.
W: I don’t know about those things. Do Scorpios like to eat? I like to eat.
Q: You had a very famous relationship though, didn’t you? Romeo and Juliette. John and Yoko. Willy and Lily.
W: Ahh. Lil. What a sweetheart. That was puppy love. Love at first sight. I loved that bitch the minute I laid eyes on her. But you know something…It was never sexual. It was a meeting of minds. We thought alike. And we were telepathic. We knew exactly what the other was about to do. We really knew each other. And she had a great sense of humour, and that is so important in a relationship
Q: You were together for a long long time. 65 Dog years. What would you say is the secret of a successful relationship?
W: Tolerance. We both had weaknesses. She had a bit of an addiction with balls. I have a thing for food. We never let it bother us.
Q: You also had a few affairs.
W: Gee. You’ve really done your research. Yea. I had a thing for Border Collie bitch there for a while. But it was just a passing phase. Lil knew that. It never bothered her.
Q: I was thinking of the boys.
W: Yea well. Boys I cant resist. I’m a bit too old for any action these days. And my sight is not the best for watching them cavort around the place. But I can dream.
Q: Are you enjoying your retirement?
W: Yeah. I’m glad I retired. My digestion isn’t the best these days. And I haven’t got the stomach anymore for Pack Politics. yeah. It’s a slow old pace. Don’t seem to get a lot done these days. I sleep a lot. Dream a lot. I still take a walk a couple of times a day. I like to keep my figure.
Q: What would you say is the secret to your long life?
W: Well my birth mother LULU lived 14 human years, so there may be a genetic thing,
But I think there is something else. I think the secret of my long life is that I have always been loved. I’ve never had a day in my life when I didn’t feel loved.
Q: And one last question Willy. Do you have any words of wisdom for the puppies out there?
W: Yes. Yes I have. “Never bite off more than you can chew”
Q: Thank you very much Willy, and from all of us, have a Happy Birthday.
